Fire fighting turret

ABSTRACT

A fire fighting turret making use of a conical selector system, having openings arranged for the selection of a particular fire fighting medium.

United States Patent [19 Gagliardo [451 Oct. 9, 1973 FIRE FIGHTING TURRET [75] Inventor: John P. Gagliardo, Auburn, Mass.

[73] Assignee: Feecon Corporation, Auburn, Mass.

[22] Filed: May 24, 1972 [2]} App]. No.: 256,419

[52] US. Cl 239/394, 169/15, 239/587 [51] Int. Cl B05!) 1/16 [58] Field of Search 169/15, 14; 239/587,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Wendell 239/394 3,704,831 12/1972 Clark ..239/394 Primary ExaminerRichard A. Schacher Attorney-Norman S. Blodgett [5 7] ABSTRACT A fire fighting turret making use of a conical selector system, having openings arranged for the selection of a particular fire fighting medium.

11 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures Patented Oct. 9, 1973 4 Sheets-Sheet l Patented Oct. 9, 1973 3,764,075

4 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 2

- Patnted Oct. 9, 1973 3,764,075

4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Oct. 9, 1973 3,764,075

4 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIG. 4

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the design and construction of fire fighting turrets, it is common practice to provide separate nozzles for the various kinds of fire fighting mediums, such as, water and foam. Also, since it is impossible to design a nozzle to project a stream effectively at widely different rates of flow, it is also common practice to provide a plurality of nozzles for each medium ,to regulate the flow by selecting the number of nozzles which are provided with a given medium. Since the selection of the proper medium is made externally of the turret,'it is necessary to provide a selector which will not only introduce the selected medium into the nozzles which are designed for that particular medium, but also to select the number of nozzles to which that medium will be directed. For this purpose it has been the practice in the past to provide a plurality of sandwiched discs, the aperatures of which are brought into registry to make the selection described above. These fiat discs effect the flow of the medium in an undesirable manner and they also present difficult problems of sealing to prevent the medium from leaking out of the turret or of bypassing to the wrong nozzle. These and other difficulties experienced with the prior art devices have been obviated in a novel manner by the present invention.

It is, therefore, an outstanding object of the-invention to provide a fire fighting turret, having a selector and a small number of moving parts.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a fire fighting turret in which the selector system is formed to automatically provide good sealing.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a fire fighting turret having a selector which occupies very little space and which weighs very little so that the balancing of the moveable weight of the turret is made easier.

, It is another object of the instant invention to provide a selector for a fire fighting turret which is formed to reduce cavitation turbulence and other undesirable effects to the flow of the fire fighting medium.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a fire fighting turret which is simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, and which is capable of a long life of useful service.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In general, the invention consists of a fire fighting turret having a main body with a conical recess, having a plurality of nozzles extending from the main body and clustered about the axis of the conical recess and having a plurality of primary openings into the conical recess, each connected to a nozzle. A cup-shaped selector member, having a conical surface concentric with and in contact with the conical recess of the main body, is mounted for rotation relative thereto about the said axis.. The selector has at least one secondary opening therethrough arranged for selective alignment on occasions with one or the other of the primary openings. More specifically, the openings in the conical recess are arranged on a circle concentric with the said axis, while the secondary openings through the selector member are similarly located on a circle of the same size which is also concentric with the said axis. The primary openings are located on four of five equally spaced points on the circle, while the secondary openings are located at two adjacent points out of five equally spaced on its circle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tire fighting turret embodying the principles of the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the turret taken on the line II-II of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of selector elements forming part of the invention, and

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing the manner in which the selector elements are operated.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring first to FIG. 1, wherein are best shown the general features of the invention, the fire fighting apparatus, indicated generally by the reference numeral 10, is shown as consisting of a main body 1 1 from which extend four nozzles 12, 13, 14, and 15. The nozzles are clustered close together; the upper two nozzles 12 and 13 are designed for use with a first fire fighting medium such as a foam mixture, while the lower nozzles 14 and 15 are designed for use with a second fire extinguishing medium such as water.

Fastened to the main body 11 is one end of a connecting member 16 whose other end is hingedly connected to a base member 17 which is adapted to be fastened to a portion of a fire fighting vehicle. A handle 18 extends out of the connecting member 16 to assist in bringing about the hinging action. An arcuate quadrant plate 19 is mounted on the connecting member concentrically to the hinge axis and a detent 21 is mounted on the base member 17 and is available to engage the plate 19 to lock the apparatus in a selected angular position. A spring-type counterbalance means 22 joins the nozzles to the base member 17. A position indicator 23 is carried on the exterior of the connecting member 16 to indicate the position of the valve.

FIG. 2 shows the manner in which the main body 11 is provided with a conical recess 24 and in which the nozzles 12, 13, 14 and 15 are evenly spacedabout the axis of the conical surface of the recess. The main body has been turned upside-down to show the elements with greater clarity. Located in the recess is a cupshaped selector member 25 made of a rubber-faced bronze, the member having a convex conical surface 26 which is concentric with and in contact with the surface of the recess. A shaft 27 is rotatably mounted at one end in the vortex of the recess, while the other end extends through a wall of the connecting member 16. The position indicator 23 is located at this outer end. The selector member 25 is keyed to the shaft 27 and rotatable with it. A hinge shaft 28 extends from the base member 17 through the connecting member 16, a suitable ball bearing 29 assuring smooth hinging motion of the connecting member 16 (along with the main body 11 and the nozzles 12, 13, 14 and 15).

In FIG. 3 it can be seen that the conical recess 24 is provided with a centralbore 31 into which the end of the shaft 27 extends; a counterbore 32 surrounds it. Four primary openings 33, 34, 35 and 36 enter the surface of the recess 24 and lead to the nozzles 15, 14, 12 and 13, respectively. The four primary openings occupy four of five positions all of which lie on a circle which is concentric with the axis of the recess, the five positions being equally spaced around the circle, i.e., at

72 apart. The selector member is also provided with a concave conical surface 37 which is concentric with its convex surface 26. These two conical surfaces define between them a thin wall through which extend two secondary openings 38 and 39. These secondary openings lie on a circle which is concentric with the said axis and which is the same size as the circle on which the primary openings lie. The secondary openings are located at two adjacent positions out of five positions equally spaced on the circle. A central bore 41 is provided for the passage of the shaft 27.

The operation of the apparatus will now be readily understood in view of the above description. The fire fighting medium is introduced into the lower end of the base member; in the preferred embodiment, the medium is either water or a foam mixture. The nozzles are directed in the usual way toward the fire by use of the handle 18; they are directed in the horizontal plane by a swivel associated with the bottom of the base member. The adjustment of angularity in the vertical plane is accomplished by loosening the detent 21, swinging the nozzles about the hinge axis afforded by the shaft 28, and re-locking the detent against the quadrant plate 19. The swinging action is made easy by the counterbalance means 22.

Since the nozzle must be specifically dsigned for the particular fire extinguishing medium that is to be passed through it, it is necessary to direct the medium either to the upper nozzles 12 and 13 (if the medium is the foam mixture) or the lower nozzles 14 and 15 (if the medium is water). Furthermore, since a nozzle operates effectively only at a certain flow rate it becomes necessary to regulate the total amount of flow by changing the number of nozzles to which medium is supplied. This selection is made by rotating the shaft 27; the selection indicator 23 shows the position.

Referring to FIG. 4, when the indicator arrow points to 2F the secondary openings 38 and 39 of the selector member 25 are aligned with the primary openings 34 and 33, respectively. This means that the foammixture that is presented to the inside surface of the selector member passes through the secondary openings 38 and 39, through the openings 34 and 33, and into the foam nozzles 13 and 12, respectively. A 72 counterclockwise rotation of the shaft brings the arrow of the indicator into the IF" position. At that time the secondary opening 38 lies over the primary opening 33, while the opening 39 lies over the blank area, so that the nozzle 12 only is supplied with foam mixture. When water is supplied to the turret, the shaft is rotated another 72 to the point where the needle points to 1W." At that time the secondary opening 39 lies over the primary opening 36, while the secondary opening lies over the blank spot, so that the water passes into the water nozzle 14. To double the amount of water projected, the shaft can be turned another 72 counterclockwise to the point where the arrow is directed at 2W on the indicator. Then, the secondary openings 38 and 39 lie over the primary openings 35 and 36, respectively, so that the water nozzles 15 and 14 receive water.

it can be seen, then, that the condition of operation can be easily changed. The use of the rubber facing for the rotatable selector member 25 means that a resilient surface is provided for best sealing. Furthermore, there is little wear of the main operative element and little likelihood of leakage of medium to unwanted nozzles. The conical shell that serves as the selector member is pressed tightly by the fluid pressure into the conical recess in the main body, so that sealing effectiveness is greatly increased. The flow of fluid is substantially straight, as compared with previous constructions, so that fluid friction, resistance to flow, and turbulence is reduced.

it is obvious that minor changes may be made in the form and construction of the invention without departing from the material spirit thereof. It is not, however, desired to confine the invention to the exact form herein shown and described, but it is desired to include all such as properly come within the scope claimed.

The invention having been thus described, what is claimed as new and desired to secure Letters Patent is:

1. A fire fighting turret, comprising:

a. a main body having a conical recess,

b. a plurality of nozzles extending from the main body and clustered about the axis of the conical recess,

c. a plurality of primary openings into the conical recess, each connected to a nozzle,

01. a cup-shaped selector member having a conical surface concentric with and in contact with the conical recess of the main body and rotatable relative thereto about the said axis, the selector having at least one secondary opening therethrough arranged for selective alignment on occasion with one or the other of the primary openings.

2. A fire fighting turret as recited in claim 1, wherein the primary openings lie on a circle which is concentric with the said axis, and wherein the primary openings are located at four of five positions equally spaced on the circle.

3. A fire fighting turret as recited in claim 2, wherein the secondary openings lie on a circle which is concentric with the said axis and which is the same size as the circle on which the primary openings lie, and wherein the secondary openings are located at two adjacent positions of five positions equally spaced on the circle.

4. A fire fighting turret as recited in claim 1, wherein the said conical surface of the selector member is convex, and wherein the selector member is also provided with a concave conical surface concentric with the convex conical surface, these two conical surfaces defining between them a thin wall through which the secondary openings pass.

5. A fire fighting turret as recited in claim 4, wherein the selector member is fixedly mounted on a rotatable shaft having one end rotatably carried at the apex of the conical recess of the main body, the other end of the shaft being provided with a position indicator to show the relationship of the secondary openings to the primary openings.

6. A fire fighting turret as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the nozzles is designed to carry one medium, and another one of the nozzles is designed to carry another medium.

7. A fire fighting turret as recited in claim 6, wherein a plurality of nozzles are designed to carry water and an equal number of nozzles are designed to carry a foam mixture, and wherein each primary opening is connected to one of the nozzles.

8. A fire fighting turret as recited in claim 7, wherein a number of positions are equally spaced on a circle on the conical recess concentric with the axis, wherein the number of positions is one greater than the number of nozzles, wherein the same number of positions are equally spaced on a circle of the same size on the conical surface also concentric with the axis, wherein each nozzle is connected to a primary opening, and wherein the number of secondary openings is equal to the number of nozzles divided by two and they are located in immediately adjacent positions.

9. A fire fighting turret as recited in claim 8, wherein the main body is fastened to a hollow connector member which is hingedly attached to a base member, and wherein a counterbalance means is provided to hold the main body, connector member, and nozzles in a predetermined aspect.

10. A fire fighting turret, comprising:

a. a main body having a surface of revolution,

b. a plurality of nozzles extending from the main body and clustered about the axis of the surface,

c. a plurality of primary openings into the surface,

each connected to a nozzle,

d. a selector member having a surface of revolution concentric with and in contact with the said surface of the main body and rotatable relative thereto about the said axis, the selector having a pair of secondary openings therethrough arranged for selective alignment on occasion with at least one of the primary openings, the primary openings lying on a circle which is concentric with the said axis, the primary openings being arranged in pairs, each pair having the same spacing as the pair of secondary openings in the selector.

11. A fire fighting turret as recited in claim 10, wherein the space between adjacent pairs of primary openings is greater than the space between the openings of the said pair of secondary openings. 

1. A fire fighting turret, comprising: a. a main body having a conical recess, b. a plurality of nozzles extending from the main body and clustered about the axis of the conical recess, c. a plurality of primary openings into the conical recess, each connected to a nozzle, d. a cup-shaped selector member having a conical surface concentric with and in coNtact with the conical recess of the main body and rotatable relative thereto about the said axis, the selector having at least one secondary opening therethrough arranged for selective alignment on occasion with one or the other of the primary openings.
 2. A fire fighting turret as recited in claim 1, wherein the primary openings lie on a circle which is concentric with the said axis, and wherein the primary openings are located at four of five positions equally spaced on the circle.
 3. A fire fighting turret as recited in claim 2, wherein the secondary openings lie on a circle which is concentric with the said axis and which is the same size as the circle on which the primary openings lie, and wherein the secondary openings are located at two adjacent positions of five positions equally spaced on the circle.
 4. A fire fighting turret as recited in claim 1, wherein the said conical surface of the selector member is convex, and wherein the selector member is also provided with a concave conical surface concentric with the convex conical surface, these two conical surfaces defining between them a thin wall through which the secondary openings pass.
 5. A fire fighting turret as recited in claim 4, wherein the selector member is fixedly mounted on a rotatable shaft having one end rotatably carried at the apex of the conical recess of the main body, the other end of the shaft being provided with a position indicator to show the relationship of the secondary openings to the primary openings.
 6. A fire fighting turret as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the nozzles is designed to carry one medium, and another one of the nozzles is designed to carry another medium.
 7. A fire fighting turret as recited in claim 6, wherein a plurality of nozzles are designed to carry water and an equal number of nozzles are designed to carry a foam mixture, and wherein each primary opening is connected to one of the nozzles.
 8. A fire fighting turret as recited in claim 7, wherein a number of positions are equally spaced on a circle on the conical recess concentric with the axis, wherein the number of positions is one greater than the number of nozzles, wherein the same number of positions are equally spaced on a circle of the same size on the conical surface also concentric with the axis, wherein each nozzle is connected to a primary opening, and wherein the number of secondary openings is equal to the number of nozzles divided by two and they are located in immediately adjacent positions.
 9. A fire fighting turret as recited in claim 8, wherein the main body is fastened to a hollow connector member which is hingedly attached to a base member, and wherein a counterbalance means is provided to hold the main body, connector member, and nozzles in a predetermined aspect.
 10. A fire fighting turret, comprising: a. a main body having a surface of revolution, b. a plurality of nozzles extending from the main body and clustered about the axis of the surface, c. a plurality of primary openings into the surface, each connected to a nozzle, d. a selector member having a surface of revolution concentric with and in contact with the said surface of the main body and rotatable relative thereto about the said axis, the selector having a pair of secondary openings therethrough arranged for selective alignment on occasion with at least one of the primary openings, the primary openings lying on a circle which is concentric with the said axis, the primary openings being arranged in pairs, each pair having the same spacing as the pair of secondary openings in the selector.
 11. A fire fighting turret as recited in claim 10, wherein the space between adjacent pairs of primary openings is greater than the space between the openings of the said pair of secondary openings. 